Self-balancing lid support



Dec. 12, 1944. E. w. NORTH ETAL SELF-BALANCING LID SUPPORT Filed Nov. 30, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 12, 1944. E. w. NORTH ETAL SELF-BALANCING LID SUPPORT Filed Nov. 30, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY @S2/Ldv Patented Dec. 12, 1944 SELF-BALANCING LID SUPPORT Edwin W. North and Roy A. Stone, Rockford, lll., assignors to National Lock Co., Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application November 30, 1942, Serial No. 467,432

(Cl. 217f-60) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for automatically supporting and balancing a cabinet lid such, for instance, as the lid of a radio or phonograph cabinet. 'Ihe function of the device is to support the lid in substantially balanced condition in all positions between fully open and fully closed, so

that the lid will not slam or be subject; t injury in operation and can be openedand closed with a minimum of effort.

Supports for this purpose heretofore customarily used have a wide base plate carrying a lon-g housing 4with the lever arm at one end thereof and designed to be mounted either upon one of the side walls or upon the motor board of the cabinet and in a predetermined set position. It is often inconvenient to apply Such a support either to a side wall or to the motor board and, furthermore, its location or that of its lever arm sometimes obstructs or interferes with some of the moving parts of the cabinet instrument or with the manual manipulation of the controls.

One of the primary purposes of our present invention is to provide a small compact support which can be mounted upon the back rail of the cabinet where it is least likely to interfere with the operation or manipulation of the instrument mounted in the cabinet, and which, becauseof the central location of the lever arm, is capable of being mounted in any desired position length- Wise of the rail. The support, being symmetrical and capable of universal applicationfmay be manufactured in quantities in standard form and mounted by the cabinet manufacturers in any position best suited tc the requirements of the particular instrument installed in the cabinet.

Another purpose of our invention is to provide a support of the character indicated which can be readily and securely mounted without injury to the motor board or other portions of the cabinet and which will not only be strong, durable and reliable in operation, but at the same time will present an attractive and pleasing appearance.

Other purposes and advantages of the invention will be appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a miniature view in perspective of a cabinet equipped with our invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view looking at the inner face of the back rail of a cabinet with our improved support applied thereto, the cabinet lid being shown in partially open position;l

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on lthe line 3 3 Aof Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentaryA view of a modified form is a sectionalview onthe line 4--4l of ,in which the lower wing of the lid hinge and the base plate of the mounting are `secured in tion by the same bolts;

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing a modiiied form of our invention;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View looking toward the right at Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional View similar to Figs. 3 and 6 showing another modification of our invention; and Y Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevation looking toward the right at Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, reference character li indicates generally a cabinet adapted tofcontain a radio, phonograph or the like, and provided with a hinged lid l2 which our self-balancing support is adapted to maintain" in substantially balanced condition in all positions between fully open and fullyclosed.l

The support comprises'a Vbase plate I3 adapted to be secured to the inner face of the back rail I4 by a plurality of bolts l5 extending through the back rail and the plate. In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the base plate of the support is positioned between the lid hinges I6, and the back rail is protected against injuryA byv the bolt heads by means of washers Il interposed between the heads and the base of the rail.

The base plate is provided at its ends with outposi- Y wardly projecting ears I8 between which extends a connectingpintle IS.- Lever arm 2l, formedv of Aheavy sheet metal,v is shaped to provide a pair of ears 22 adapted to be positioned between the plate ears I8 and pivoted or fulcrumed upon the pintle I9. The Jever, as will be observed, is of a generally trough shape and tapered from its pivoted end toward its free end so as to not only afford strength but also to present a pleasing i I9, one free end 21 of each spring being abutted against the plate I3 and the other end 28 being abutted against the pin 25 so that the tension of the springs tends to swing the arm in a countersubstantially in proportion to the increased leverage ofthe lid, so that in all positions of the lid it is substantially balanced by the springs and can be easily manipulated without danger of flying open onclosed.

To the outer end of the armZI a link 29is pivotally connected by a pin or rivet 3I and to the free end of the link a lid plate 32 is pivotally connected by a pin or rivet 33. The lid plate is v secured to the lid I2 by means of wood screws 34,`

as shown.

It will be manifest that the form of the in-l vention above described is capable of being mounted on the back rail in any desired position Thestructural details lillustrated and described may obviously be varied within considerable limits lengthwise of the rail, so that it may be located]l by any manufacturer in av position least likely to interfere with the instrument or its controls located in the cabinet. In other words, the structure of the support is such that no set mounting, such as is customary with supports with which I am familiar, is required.

In some instances it may be desirable to locate the base plate I3 in alignment with one of the lid hinges I6, and in such event the fastening bolts or screws I5 may extend through the lowerv wing 35 of the hinge and through the base plate, thereby serving to mount both the hinge and the base plate on the back rail 4by means of the same bolts, as exemplied in Fig. 5. In such instances the hinge wing serves to protect the back rail against injury bythe bolt heads, thereby eliminating the employment of washers I'l.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 6`

and 7, the lower hinge wing 3B and the base plate I3 are mounted and held in position by commoni bolts, as in Fi-g. 5. The upper hinge wing 3I,

however, in this instance is extended upwardly along the inner face of the lid I2 to provide an elongated lid plate which carries the ears 38 by which the link 29 is connected to the lid. If pre-` ferred, the ears may be struck out from the plate 3'I, thus providing an integral structure. This construction is obviously stronger than the form .shown in Fig. 3, and the proper location of the point of connection between the link 29 and the lid is insured.

In the form shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the upper hinge plate carries the connecting ears 38 in the same manner as in Fig. 6, but the lower hinge wing 4I in this instance is formed as an integral part of the base plate I3, -thus providing still ,without departing from the scope of our invention as dened in the following claims.

We claim: i,

1; A' mounting for pivoted lids comprising a hinge having oneleaf attached to the cabinet wall and lthe other leaf attached to said lid, a base plate secured to said wall and'to said hinge, said base plate being provided with a plurality vof ears 'projecting outwardly from said wall, a pintle extending between said ears, a tapered channel f shaped lever comprising side walls and a connecting wall, the ends of the side walls extending beyond the end of the connecting wall, said extending side walls being pivotally mounted atone end upon said pintle, a coiled spring surrounding the pintle and engaged with said base plate and with said lever and biasing the lever in'one direction, saidlever forming a housing over said pintle and surrounding spring, a link pivoted at one end to the projecting ends of the lever side walls at the opposite end of the lever, and a lid plate pivoted to the other end of said link and attached to the inner face of said lid.

2. A balancing lid support, comprising a base plate adapted to be mounted upon the back rail of a cabinet so as to extend parallel with the pivot of the lid hinge, said plate being provided at each'end thereof with an outstanding ear, a pintle connecting said ears, a `channel shaped tapered lever including side walls projecting at one end beyond the wall connecting said side walls and pivotally mounted on said pintle, a coiled spring surrounding the pintle and having the ends thereof engaging' said lever and base plate respectively so as to bias the lever in one direction, said lever forming a housing over said pintle and spring, a link pivotally connected at one end tothe free end of said lever, and means whereby the other end of said link may -be pivotally connected with a lid to be supported.

` EDWIN W. NORTH.

' ROY A. STONE.A 

